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https://www.instagram.com/p/CJREyaypS-K/?igshid=3dg2ja8sgi7p

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Do The Right Thing: A Spike Lee Joint

I love this movie because it still perfectly reflects the racial climate of today.

On the of the hottest day in the summer, we watch as tensions rise between all these people of different backgrounds who all live and work together in Bed-Stuy. We have Italian-Americans running the pizza shop (Sals), Korean-Americans running a corner store, and Latinx-Americans and African-Americans living in this community. All of these groups, though living and working together, have so much anger and hatred towards each other that is extremely evident, but never properly addressed. This film highlights what can happen when racial tensions aren’t properly dealt with and are instead left to simmer. Everyone is looking at each other through the lense of whatever stereotypes they’ve heard about the other, without actually knowing or understanding the background, culture, or history of that group of people, and this ultimately ends in tragedy and destruction, both in the movie and for us in real life. I feel this movie calls for us all to set aside our differences and truly talk to one another and seek to find some mutual understanding before tensions rise so high that the only other option is destruction.

This film also highlights the subtle, internalized anger that Black people tend to carry within Us due to constantly facing, feeling, and seeing the effects of racism and discrimination everyday. During one of the segments with the three men on the corner, one of the men expresses his frustration about the Korean-Americans owning a store in their neighborhood, but no Black people owning any stores or anything even though they are the predominant group in this neighborhood. While the solution to that may seem easy (save up some money and buy those boarded up buildings just like they did) when you look at our history you see it’s not that cut and dry. We long for a thriving Black community, but we also see how, historically, whenever a Black community becomes TOO self sufficient and TOO prosperous, white people would destroy them or create laws and policies that make it extremely difficult for us to flourish. There is so much frustration and anger in knowing that we should and could do better, but feeling as though it isn’t possible for your people because the society you live in has created so many obstacles which make it very difficult to do so…meanwhile people of other races and nationalities and ethnicities are thriving and profiting off of Us with no issue (even if they don’t even like Us). Also, at the end, you hear them list off a few other victims of police brutality (Michael Stewart and Eleanor Bumpurs) and during the destruction of Sals pizza, you hear them chanting “Howard Beach!” over and over (a real incident that happened in December 19, 1986 where a group of four Black men were badly beaten and one killed by being hit by a car after an incident in a white side of town).  Some may feel that Mookie throwing the trash can, which lead to the destruction of Sals pizza, took it a bit too far, but imagine the anger and pain that Black people feel from seeing our people getting killed and mistreated over and over and then seeing a positive force in the community be killed by a cop right in front of you just because of an altercation. When you take into consideration how the compounding trauma of seeing your people being killed, mistreated, discriminated against, etc. for 300+ years can affect Us, destroying a building really isn’t that bad. The building can be rebuilt, the lost lives can’t be returned.

If you love this movie, submit some things that you think should be pointed out about it to me and I’ll post!

Fun facts about the film!

The scenes with the men on the corner were improvised, which makes me love those scenes even more than I already did

Spike Lee wrote this script in just two weeks!

His sister in the movie is his sister in real life

Spike Lee’s father composed and performed a lot of the music in the movie

Jennifer Van Evra. “Do The Right Thing At 30: Fascinating Facts About The Groundbreaking Spike Lee Film.” Cbc. Cbc Radio, 27, June 2019, https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5190258. 8/27/2020.

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The Significance of Afro Picks

Most of us here know about the Afro Pick as a result of the Black Pride/Black Power movement in the 60′s and 70′s, but Afro Picks were a deep part of our culture not only here in the United States, but also when we were still in Africa.

According to this article on Naturally Curly: 

“Back in the times of Ancient Africa, within the Northern and Western regions, the afro pik (comb) carried a different meaning and purpose than it currently does today. In Northern Egypt, when women held the title of pharaoh, the afro comb was used as a decorative hair dress made of gold. The significance of the comb was to show nobility; its markings depicted familial history. Because many Northern African women around Egypt and Morocco wore sleek styles, braids, or wigs over braids (protective styles) the afro combs were status accessories.”

“Moving down to Western Africa, the afro comb remained a symbol of decoration amongst the tribes. The Northern and Western regions were different in that afro combs were not a specialty to the nobility; the young girls and women in the western tribes made their own handcrafted afro combs and regularly exchanged them as gifts. The combs of the western regions were done with various creative handles, shapes, and structures; these combs represented uniqueness and vibrancy of the culture and the tribes.“

Just looking at an Afro pick, you can feel that it’s more than just a grooming tool. Wearing an Afro pick in your hair is not only a nod to the work that was done here in the 60′s and 70′s to fight for Civil Rights, but it’s a nod to our Ancestors who lived, worked, and ruled in Africa. Its a tradition that spans 5,500 years all the way back to Egypt (the Guardian). I want for the Afro Pick to be a major part of our culture again, not just a cool grooming tool. I want it to be an accessory that causes us to have even more pride in ourselves, our hair, our skin and our existence in the world. The wearing of an Afro Pick is beautiful to me because this is truly the ONE thing no one else can really steal. This is Ours. We are the only ones whose hair defies gravity and can hold a pick in this way, so flaunt it! Our hair is cool af and it should be celebrated. WE are cool af and WE should be celebrated! I love Us

- Zeta Powell

I am not endorsed by them, but I’d definitely suggest checking out Naturally Curly for your natural hair needs! They have all kinds of info about natural hair and how to care for it as well as products for sale and community forums to discuss proper haircare!

 https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/kinky-hair-type-4a/this-hair-tool-has-richer-roots-than-you-knew 

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2013/jul/07/afro-comb-accessory-cultural-icon#:~:text=The%20afro%20comb%20dates%20back,commonly%20upright%20with%20long%20teeth.

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Welcome!

Hello everybody! Im glad you’re here :) 

Okay, so let me reiterate what I’m seeking to do here. I would like to include all of you in my journey of reconnecting with my culture and my roots. As I embark on this journey alongside all of you, I want to create a space that deliberately creates a community and inspires conversation surrounding everything it means to be Black. Fro’d Up is that space. By expressing different facets of our culture through art placed on afro picks, I seek to build community and Pride surrounding Black culture. I want to start by exploring Our culture and history here in America, and ultimately I see this branching to include the entire Diaspora. I want all of Us truly included in this, because all of Us are in this together whether we realize it or not. I know that we all have different hair types and there are those of you who are Black who are unable to place the picks in your hair, but I want you to know you are still included in this. I just feel that there are enough of us who are able to place the pick in our hair for this to be the statement that I intend for this to be. I want the picks to be a signifier of our unity and support of one another. If you buy a pick and you wear it in your hair, you are acknowledging that you are in support of anyone who can wear the pick in the same way, or anyone who has the blood of someone who can wear the pick in the same way. I know that the country is really divided right now and in many ways so is the world. With all the division happening, there needs to be some unity somewhere. I seek to bring in that Unity. I want this to be a space that pushes us to learn, question, interact with one another, and grow within ourselves and within what it means to be Black. To have Pride in our place in the world.

I have A LOT to read, study, watch, research, etc. and I know I’m not the only one, so let’s do all that together. There are no stupid questions in this space. There is no level of knowledge about Our people and Our culture that you are expected to have. Judgment and condescending tones and talking points are not welcome here. This is a space for learning and exploration. There is no revoking of black cards or laughing at ignorance. Ignorance is not a bad word, and living in a world that deliberately hides our history, all of us are ignorant. Some of us more than others, but all of us are ignorant in some way. Help each other to learn and understand instead of talking down to anyone. I don’t care if you don’t even know who Rosa Parks is or if you haven’t seen Friday. You are welcome no matter what you know or don’t know. I see you, and your Black experience is valid too. 

With each pick sold, a significant portion will be donated to different nonprofit organizations around the country who are doing amazing work to help Our communities, but may not be very well known. I want you to know that when you wear a pick, not only are you standing in solidarity with Our people symbolically, but you are also helping in a tangible way too. I will do interviews (Zoom calls until we get this Rona under control) with the people who work at the organization so they can explain what it is that they do and how they help the community so you can see clearly what you are supporting. 

I have many more ideas of where all I want to take this, but a lot is still in the works behind the scenes right now. I simply wanted to go ahead and share my vision with you all and get this concept grounded a bit more instead of it just being a dream that only I am aware of. You all can just see this grow alongside me!

Thank you for taking the time to read this and to see my vision. I love you all

- Zeta Powell

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Flo Milli - Weak

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IG Models - @versace.ve @sandramabelle

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‘Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can’t just be on people of color to deal with it. It’s up to all of us – Black, white, everyone – no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out. It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own. It ends with justice, compassion, and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets.’ — Michelle Obama

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i took a deeper dive into the racism in the film industry, the hair and makeup aspects of it.

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Total Eclipse 

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Growth

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You hate yourself so loudly. You hate yourself at the top of your lungs. Your loathing for yourself permeates your speech. “Sorry I’m just rambling.” “Don’t worry about it.” “Just ignore me.” “Sorry if I’m annoying you.” “Sorry I don’t make sense.” “Sorry about that.” Sorry, sorry, sorry. You act as if you have to beat everyone else to the punch. As if the punching bag is you. If you hate yourself first, if you hate yourself loudest, then nobody will hurt you. You clapped your hands over your ears and shut your eyes and balled yourself up so that you’d never have to experience people’s loathing for you. And it meant you never heard their love. You drowned it out. You screamed your hatred over it. And you never got to hear it.